And That Kids
by himymfan12
Summary: What if How I Met Your Mother didn't end with the mother dying, but with something else tragic happening instead. What if the reason Ted told his kids his very long story was so he could relive the moments he had with someone he will never see again? A one-shot alternate ending to the series.


**Okay so like many of you, I wasn't entirely thrilled with the ending of How I met Your Mother. I didn't hate it but to me it didn't make sense, so I decided to write my own ending. I want to make it clear that this story is not how I wanted it to end but after much thought, is what I realized would have made more sense. I hope you all enjoy it and don't hate me for thinking this way! Haha:)  
P.S. I know I haven't updated I'm Here to Help in awhile but I am working on a new chapter now, I just got a little sidetracked with this and schoolwork! **

"And that kids, is how I met your mother." Ted Mosby had just finished telling his two kids the incredible story of how he met their mother, which seemed to have taken a very long time.

"That's it?" Penny asked.

"That's it."

"No, I don't buy it. That is not the reason you made us listen to this." Penny responded.

"Oh really? Then what's the reason?" Ted asked.

"Lets listen to the facts here. You made us sit down and listen this story about how you met mom, yet mom is hardly in the story. No. This is a story about all the memories you had with aunt Robin, and how much she means to you. You were in love with her and even though you found mom you never stopped loving aunt Robin."

"I can't believe you. I kept this story short and to the point and you guys still missed it. The point of this story is that-"

"That you totally, totally, totally had the hots for aunt Robin for ten years, and you want us to know how special she is to you."

"Wow, you were really into aunt Robin." Luke finally spoke up.

"You're grounded." Ted said, pointing at Penny. "And you too." He said as he pointed at Luke.

"Look, dad. Its okay if you were in love with her. And we get why you told us this story, the real reason. Aunt Robin meant a lot to us too, and now that's she gone you want to preserve her memory. You want me and Luke to appreciate aunt Robin as much as you did and you want us to know how important she was to you."

"Yeah, we get it dad. We loved her too." Luke said sympathetically.

"I guess I just wanted you guys to see how awesome she was and how much she impacted my life. Plus, reliving some of those stories made me feel like she isn't too far from me you know, like she's still here." Ted, Penny and Luke sat in silence for a moment, taking in the memory of Robin Scherbatsky. It was then that Tracy walked into the living room.

"Penny, Luke, you two need to get dressed. We have to leave soon." Tracy said to her kids. The two siblings got up from their spots on the couch and went upstairs to change. Tracy made her way over to Ted at his desk.

"How are you doing? Are you ready for today?" Tracy asked.

"I don't know. I never imagined this day ever happening you know. I always imagined all six of us growing old together. We have been through so much as a group and now one of us is just gone, and it's Robin. I can't wrap my head around it, it doesn't feel real." Ted said as he thought about Robin's permanent absence. Tracy rubbed Ted's back as she sat on his lap.

"I'd like to think that she is never really to far. If you need her, she'll be here." Ted smiled at his wife as he fought back tears. It was then that Ted heard a knock at the front door.

"That's probably them. I'll get it." Ted said as Tracy stood from his lap. Ted went to the front door to see Barney, Lily, and Marshall standing on his porch.

"Hey guys. Come in." Ted said as he hugged each one, holding on extra long to Barney who didn't seem to want to let go.

"We actually need to get going. Is everyone ready?" Marshall asked.

"Penny! Luke! Get down here, we need to go." Ted yelled up the stairs. His two kids came down the stairs, dressed in their best. They all walked out the door and to the limo waiting outside the Mosby house. Already inside were Lily and Marshall's three kids. Ted got his family in the limo and let Lily, Marshall and Barney climb in ahead of him. Once they were situated Ted leaned his head into the limo to tell them all something.

"Guys I think I am just going to catch up. There is somewhere I need to go first."

"Are you sure? You're going to be late." Marshall asked.

"I won't be late. I'll see you guys there." Ted said as he closed the door to the limo.

Ted then hopped in his car and made a short pit stop before heading to the church. There was no way he was going to let his last encounter with Robin Scherbatsky be anything less spectacular than his first, so he needed to pick something up before he headed out. Once he made his stop and got to the church he found his group in the pews. He sat beside them as the service started. After an hour-long service, everybody left the church to follow the hearse to the cemetery. The line of cars was amazing. It stretched as far as anybody could see, just proving how loved Robin truly was. Once they arrived at the cemetery they were all led to Robin's gravesite where her coffin was situated. The priest said a few words before Barney took the stand.

"Hello everybody. First off I want to thank you all for being here. I know Robin must have meant a lot to all of you, she was truly an amazing woman. What was amazing was that she was able to do the one thing no other person in my life has ever been able to do, and that's make me a better person. When I met Robin, I was 30 years old and I was broken. Nothing in my life made me happy so I was constantly looking for new things to make me feel alive. The most alive I ever felt was in the moments I spent with Robin. That's when I knew I couldn't let her go. We had a very messy history with each other. It took a lot of work for us to get where we needed to be but we got there, mainly because we loved each other, and I loved Robin more than I have ever loved any other human being." Barney was trying hard to hold back his tears. As he looked out at the group of people who had gathered to mourn his late wife, he realized there was no shame in letting it go, so he did. As he continued his speech, he could barely get his words out over his sobs. "Robin was the toughest person I ever met. When she got sick, I spent a lot of time with her in the hospital. One night, I was sitting next to her bed holding her hand, and she said to me 'Barney, this is not going to stop me you know. I am going to be around to annoy you for many more years to come.' At that moment I believed her. I truly thought she was going to beat the cancer and we would live happily ever after. It turns out that's not the way the world works. She passed away that night in her sleep, but not without making one final request. Right before she went to bed, she said to me 'You know, you might have been on to something with the whole weekend a Barney's thing. If anything happens to me, weekend at Robin's okay? Weekend at Robin's, that works right?' In that moment I never felt so much love for another person in my whole life. I leaned over to her and kissed her on her forehead, not letting go of her hand until she was asleep, but in a way I feel like I never let go. She is still here; I can feel that she is. I know she is looking down on all of us with a smile, drinking her scotch, smoking her cigars and watching hockey. As much as I wish she were still here on Earth with us all, I know that she is in good hands. I love you Robin and I will never let go." With that Barney approached Robin's coffin and placed a picture of them together on their wedding day along with the last page of the playbook, entitled The Robin on top of her coffin.

Barney took a moment of silence, just looking at her coffin before backing away and joining the rest of the gang in the crowd. This was the queue for the rest of the mourners to place the flowers on top of Robin's coffin. Everyone started to migrate towards the coffin, placing flowers on top and walking away. Ted and the rest of the gang pushed themselves to the back of the line, wanting to be the last ones to say goodbye to Robin. They all stood in silence, wiping away tears as they slowly made their way up to the coffin. Lily was beyond hysterical as she left Marshall's side to stand with Barney. The two of them embraced, knowing how important Robin was to each of them.

After a couple minutes the gang finally made it to Robin's coffin. They all placed flowers on top. And then it was Ted's turn. Tears filled his eyes as he looked down at the Coffin that held a true love of his life.

"Excuse me, I need a moment." Ted said as he left the gang and walked away from the coffin. He took a short walk to his car to grab something and headed back to the gravesite. Once he got there everybody realized what he was holding in his hands. He approached the coffin, thinking back to his first date with Robin Scherbatsky. He loved her from the moment he met her, she was his best friend and meant the world to him. As he thought back to that first night he couldn't help but smile. That night was the start of the best years of his life, and it all started with a blue French horn. Ted looked down at the coffin in front of him and then down at the blue French horn in his hands. He walked up to the coffin and gently placed the blue French horn on top. "Take good care of this for me." He whispered. "I love you Robin."

Ted turned around to walk back towards the rest of the gang. Tracy had taken the kids to give their condolences to Robin's parents. Now it was just Marshall, Lily, Barney and Ted gathered around Robin's coffin. They all stood in silence staring at the last physical sign of one of their best friends. Even though they were all crying, they couldn't help but to smile as they all thought back to the good times they had. Sure, losing Robin was tragic, something none of them would have wished for in a million years, but at least they had a lifetime of great memories to remember her by.

"She was everything to me, and now she's gone. What's next for me guys?" Barney said with true fear of where his life was headed.

"I know it may seem scary Barney, but you're not alone." Lily said.

"Yeah buddy, you have us." Marshall interjected.

"Always have, and always will." Ted said as he patted Barney on the back. With that, the gang shared a small smile and said one last goodbye to Robin, before they turned around and started on a new chapter of their lives together.


End file.
